Perchance to Dream
by more-than-words
Summary: After a stressful week at work, Elizabeth finds it hard to relax and is unable to sleep. Henry helps her out. Smut.


Hello! Here's some random Saturday Smut for you, written pretty fast so potentially a bit shoddy but hopefully still OK..? I had an urge lol. Hope you enjoy! :) x

P.S. The end is deliberate. Kind of.

* * *

It had been three days of relentless work. An important trade treaty at risk of falling apart at the last minute had meant Elizabeth had hardly been home in that time, and when she had been home it hadn't taken long for her phone to ring with instructions to get back to the office sharpish to fix whatever problem had just arisen at some ungodly late hour. She was sure she hadn't had a full night's sleep in a week.

And yet even though the crisis was over, even though disaster had been averted and Conrad had signed the trade deal as planned and everyone had gone home happy, Elizabeth still wasn't able to relax. She felt too wired up, too switched-on, too used now to being woken at two in the morning with an urgent phone call to let herself go enough to fall asleep.

She lay in bed, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling and willing herself to sleep. Or maybe not even sleep. She'd be happy if she could just get her mind off high alert.

Every time she blinked, her eyes felt hot and gritty and her head was spinning with exhaustion. _Sleep. Go to sleep_. It shouldn't be hard. She closed her eyes and willed her muscles to relax, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, sinking down further into the plush mattress. _That's it… or not._ Her mind was refusing to rest even as her body was crying out for it.

Resigned to another night of broken rest, she shuffled towards the edge of the bed, thinking that she might get up and read some briefing paper on the growing international problem of microbeads, which Jay had pressed on her with the promise it was something she definitely needed to know about. He may well have been right, but Elizabeth was currently hoping the dull-sounding report would do the trick to occupy her mind enough to bore her into sleep.

Before she could slide out of bed, Henry stirred next to her, drowsily reaching out with one hand to brush the back of his knuckles against her hip. "Where're you going?" he asked, his speech slow and slurred with sleep.

"The office," she whispered. "Go back to sleep."

"Phone didn't ring," Henry mumbled.

"I mean our office. Downstairs. I'm gonna go and read for a bit."

Henry mumbled something unintelligible and his hand came to curl lazily around the jut of her hipbone. Then he said, "No, stay here."

She wondered how she was supposed to resist her husband when he was so cute and uninhibited in his semi-conscious state. She rolled over to face him, propping herself up on one elbow to lean over him as he lay sprawled across his side of the bed – and , she noted, part of hers. She traced his features gently with one finger, hoping to soothe him back to sleep; there was no need for them both to be up and restless in the small hours. "Shhh, it's OK. Go back to sleep, Henry."

She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, smiling as his breathing evened out and a look of contentment passed over his face, just about visible in the dim light of their bedroom. Good. She was glad he was resting, especially after the ringing of her phone had woken him without fail for the past few nights. She felt guilty for the way it had disturbed him, too.

Certain that Henry had fallen back to sleep, Elizabeth eased carefully away from him and shifted back to the edge of the bed, rolling onto her side in preparation for slipping soundlessly from the comfortable cocoon she shared with her husband. She was just about to push the blanket back when Henry rolled in close behind her and wrapped his arm around her body, pulling her back into his chest.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, his voice still throaty and slow with sleep, but definitely aware.

Damn. She had been so sure he'd gone back to sleep. She hadn't wanted to wake him. "Downstairs," she replied quietly, still mindful of the night time hours and feeling the need to keep things hushed even though they were both awake.

Henry hummed in the back of his throat. "Hmm, no," he said. "You're staying here." He tightened his hold on her, sliding one leg over hers and then tangling their legs together to keep her with him, his palm pressing warmly against the centre of her chest and his thumb brushing lightly against the bare skin just below her collarbone.

She felt her body respond to his touch, warmth flaring through her as his breath disturbed her hair and his lips brushed against the top of her head. "I can't relax," she told him, finally admitting to him the problem that had been bothering her since they climbed into bed several hours earlier. "I can't switch off. After this week, my brain is just… I mean, I can't –"

"Hey," Henry said, his voice a low rumble that she could feel reverberating through her as his chest pressed against her back. "It's OK." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll relax you."

At that point in time she was pretty sure that nothing could relax her, not even her wonderful husband. She just had so many thoughts running around inside her head and none of them would settle; she couldn't even have a logical argument with _herself_. "Henry…"

"Shhh," he cut her off before she could formulate a coherent protest. "Let me. I'll take care of you." He followed it up with a wet kiss to the pulse point on her throat, sucking lightly and letting his teeth scrape gently over her skin, sending an involuntarily shiver through her. "Relax, babe. Let me do this."

There was no way of resisting him when he used that deep, sexy, quietly authoritative tone, especially when his voice was still tinged with drowsiness. Elizabeth nodded and felt a sense of warm security wash over her as Henry enfolded her body with his, effectively cradling her back against his chest and blanketing her with his body. She felt the tension within in her drop just the slightest bit, right before it raised again in other ways when Henry's hand slid up to cup her breast and he pressed another, firmer, kiss to her neck. "God, Henry, _please_."

She wasn't entirely sure for what she was pleading with him, but he seemed more than happy to oblige. His thumb stroked over her nipple through the silk of her nightgown before he pinched it lightly between thumb and finger. Elizabeth arched into his touch, her hand coming up to grab his wrist and hold him to her without her even realising. Henry gently dislodged her grip and leaned over her to kiss her cheek as he placed her hand back on the mattress at her side. "Relax," he whispered. "Just enjoy this."

He pinched her nipple again, his touch pulsing slightly and setting up a rhythmic thrum inside of her that had her pressing more keenly against him even as she finally – _finally_ – felt the seeds of stress starting to gradually dispel. Henry pressed his head to hers, nose nuzzling at her hair before he started pressing kisses over her face. Elizabeth tilted her head back and he caught her lips with his. She let him kiss her lazily, responding to his touch and sucking his top lip between hers for several seconds, but mostly following his request to let him do this for her, content to let him set the pace.

Henry slid his tongue against hers, and Elizabeth hummed in satisfaction. It had been too long since they had been able to do this, since they had taken the time to be properly intimate with each other, and somehow, the dark of their room in the small hours of the morning only served to heighten their intimacy. Elizabeth felt her breath quicken as Henry's hand slid down her body, gliding over the smooth silk of her nightgown and then making broad strokes across her hips and abdomen, sending slow waves of heat rolling through her body. She groaned as he pressed his hips against her backside and she felt him hardening against her, his breath coming faster against her ear.

"So good," she mumbled, feeling at once charged with desperate arousal and intensely relaxed in a way that she hadn't in days – _weeks_.

"Feel me," Henry whispered, kissing her again and trailing his fingers over her pelvis before sliding them down to cup his hand over her centre and then resting there, unmoving.

Elizabeth could feel the heat of his palm against the core of her and hear his slightly stuttered breathing against her ear and feel his body surrounding hers and it felt just exquisite. There was part of her that wanted to urge him on, that wanted to grip his wrist and urge him to move, to move his fingers right where she wanted them, but she quashed that instinct and just let herself lie there in the warmth of his embrace, feeling every little tingle and shiver of her skin at Henry's touch, indulging in the moment. She let out a long, slow breath and with it felt her high alert status of the past few days begin to dissipate.

It was at least a minute before Henry moved again, as though he had been deliberately waiting for her to properly relax before continuing. He slid his fingers beneath her nightgown and then beneath her underwear, seeking out the wetness that Elizabeth could feel gathering there. She was unable to contain the harsh gasp she gave as Henry's fingers made contact with her core, his hand stilling for the several seconds it took her to relax back against him and let him resume the slow, soothing pace he had set even as the fire building within her was stoked ever higher.

She whimpered as he circled her clit with one finger before he dipped it inside her entrance, rubbing just inside and making her arch her hips back into him. "That's it," he said, his tone full of love and encouragement. He slipped another finger inside her and slowly eased all the way in, making sure she felt every moment of it.

"God." Elizabeth tilted her head back to rest against his shoulder, seeking any connection she could get. Her hand left the mattress again to reach back and loop loosely over Henry's hip, needing to feel him in any way possible. This time he made no move to stop her, instead pressing his hips more firmly against her and leaving her in no doubt of what he was currently feeling.

Henry's fingers stroked firmly inside of her as he pulled his hand back before thrusting in again. Elizabeth enjoyed the slight burn of it as he crooked his fingers and pressed down against the spot that always made her wild for him. Her hips bucked against him and she felt the tell-tale tingles of orgasm starting to build deep within her. Usually she would chase after it, urging Henry on or taking matters into her own hands and taking control so that she could reach her peak; it was a change of pace to force herself to stay relatively still and just let it happen naturally, slowly, enjoying the gradual build-up even as beads of sweat started to break out on her skin, making her shiver as they met with the cool air of the room.

Henry brushed his thumb against her clit, making her cry out, the sound loud and echoing in the quiet of their room. He hummed in approval and she could feel his smile as he pressed his lips to her cheek. "That's it, babe," he murmured against her skin.

She used the hand she had on his hip to tug him more firmly towards her. "With me," she said, hoping that he would get the hint.

Of course he did. Henry eased his fingers out of her and his hand pulled back for a few seconds as he pushed down his boxers just far enough to free his erection, before his hand slid back into her panties and pulled them to one side.

Elizabeth shifted one leg forwards and tilted over slightly, feeling him slide between her legs, the tip of his erection brushing against her wetness. She turned her face back to kiss him, and their lips were brushing together lightly as Henry brought his hand down and around to help ease himself inside of her, stretching her deliciously.

He stilled once he was buried deep inside of her, the rush of his breath loud in her ear and the thump of his heart against her back beating in time with hers. Elizabeth squeezed her muscles around him and he groaned, tipping his face into her neck and pressing a hot, lingering kiss against her throat as he started to move languidly against her.

She gave herself over to the sensations of Henry's slow strokes and his mouth against her throat and his hand moving almost soothingly against her thigh. The position they were in let Henry set the pace, and there was nothing else to do but enjoy it, confident that her husband would take care of her – as he always did. Elizabeth let her eyes slip closed and felt her hips undulating against Henry's with every thrust he made inside of her, her body acting on instinct and overtaking her normally dominant mind.

"Yes, Henry," she said as his hand moved up from her thigh to brush against her clit, not moving but instead just resting there, letting her feel the pressure and letting her orgasm build slowly. Elizabeth breathed in deeply as she felt herself start to climb higher, the fullness of having Henry inside of her and his body surrounding hers and his lips against her face making her tremble. She was overcome with love for him. "This is perfect," she managed to tell him, desperate to let him know just how good it was, how much it meant to her.

She could tell he was pleased with her reaction by the way he held her tighter, hooking his leg around hers and thrusting deeper into her, pressing her further down into the mattress. She was aware that it was taking all of his effort to keep his thrusts even and controlled, and could tell from the increased harshness of his breathing that he was close to reaching orgasm himself. She squeezed her muscles around him again, hoping that they would be able to fall together. The pressure of his finger against her clit increased, sending her over the edge, and Elizabeth felt the pleasure break over her in waves – waves that seemed to only grow as Henry started to move his finger against her clit, rubbing in sure, firm strokes that prolonged the sensations and sent her ever higher, making her gasp quietly and squeeze him tighter and setting off his own release.

She felt him release inside her, throbbing hotly and jolting against her as he groaned into her ear. "Amazing, babe," he said. "So good."

She nodded a little jerkily, still trembling as the aftershocks continued to pulse through her, her skin tingling everywhere that Henry touched. She felt… spent, in the best possible way. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyes… she couldn't keep her eyes open.

Henry carefully eased himself out of her and adjusted their clothing and then the duvet that covered them, arranging the covers securely around Elizabeth and then securing her further with his arm around her waist. "Elizabeth, sleep," he instructed gently.

No. She didn't want to sleep. Not now. Not after that. She wanted to turn in Henry's arms and tell him how amazing he was, how grateful she was, how incredible that experience had just been. She wanted to thank him for understanding and wrap her arms around his torso and enjoy the feeling of a night uninterrupted by ringing phones and international crises, completely relaxed and stress-free.

But her eyes wouldn't open, and even if she had been able to persuade her limbs to cooperate enough to roll over, she was surrounded by Henry and far too comfortable to move. She felt her consciousness starting to fade, aware of the lull of dreams that awaited her, her brain finally allowing itself to shut down. She fought against it for a moment, not wanting her intimate moment with Henry to end.

"Sleep," Henry said, his own voice satisfied and drowsy and slow as he fell back into slumber, his breathing evening out and his arm heavy and comforting around her waist.

Elizabeth let herself enjoy the feeling of being surrounded so completely by her husband, letting herself go boneless against him as the need to sleep finally started to tug her inevitably down and her thoughts started to slip away and -


End file.
